With a design speed of 1,600 m/min and a working width of 7,500 mm, former SC paper PM 10 at Heinzel Group’s Laakirchen, Austria mill, after being rebuilt/converted by Andritz, Austria, is now one of the world’s most productive paper machines for fluting and testliners.

"We have implemented a comprehensive investment package for our paper mill in Laakirchen. The heart of this package is the PM 10 rebuild. The new Andritz technology enables production at the highest quality level. In addition to our PM 11, which will continue producing paper for the high-quality SC market, PM 10 produces 450,000 t/y of fluting and testliners," said Thomas Welt, production director at Laakirchen Papier AG.

In the stock preparation section, the Andritz scope of supply included a complete OCC line with a capacity of 1,350 metric tpd, rebuild of the existing paper machine approach flow system, as well as sludge and reject handling. The pulping system with detrashing includes a 130 cubic meter FibreSolve FSR pulper, which is the largest low-consistency pulper Andritz has ever installed in Europe.

The rebuilt paper machine features a PrimeFlow TW double-layer headbox with PrimeProfiler F consistency profiling system. This headbox enables best surface profiles at maximum production flexibility with the stiff separating lamella between the layers. The new PrimeForm TW gap former, with a specially designed forming suction roll for higher dewatering capacity, gently dewaters the web and ensures high retention rates. Forming shoes at both the top and bottom ensure optimized dewatering within a broad operating window. In combination with the PrimeFilm Sizer unit, high strength is achieved in the end product.

In the first drying group, PrimeRun Evo web stabilizers were installed to improve the runnability of the machine after the press section. PrimeRun Evo web stabilizers are high-vacuum boxes with three different vacuum zones in one box. Thus, the web can be removed carefully from the surface of the drying cylinder. In addition, PrimeRun Duo web stabilizers were installed in the existing pre-drying section and in the new after-drying section to enable an even web run throughout the drying section.

Instead of cast iron cylinders, PrimeDry Steel cylinders are used to achieve the targeted production capacities. They provide up to 7% more drying capacity compared with same-sized cast iron cylinders at the same operating pressure and thus enable either increased production or reduced energy consumption within the space available. In addition, a new air system including heat recovery for the rebuilt drying section was installed to provide energy-efficient paper production.

The new PrimeFilm Sizer applies surface starch to both sides of the paper web simultaneously to achieve the requested strength values. This starch application technology was installed due to the high speed of the machine. The PrimeAir Glide air-turn and the PrimeFeeder tail threading system result in gentle web iturnng and reliable and fast tail threading.

The scope of supply further includes the entire basic process engineering as well as the complete PrimeControl automation package.

The Heinzel Group, with its affiliates Laakirchen Papier AG and Zellstoff Pöls AG, both in Austria, Raubling Papier GmbH, Germany, and AS Estonian Cell, Estonia, ranks among the largest producers of market pulp, corrugated paper, and magazine paper in Central and Eastern Europe. Containerboard has been part of the group’s portfolio since the beginning of 2016.